CW5 O’Mara was born in Holley, New York and entered service as an enlisted soldier in December 1967. He was appointed as a Warrant Officer in 1975 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Since his appointment, CW5 O’Mara has distinguished himself in a variety of challenging and critical Quartermaster assignments both in the United States and at key places around the world.

In the late 1970s, CW5 O’Mara served as a Property Book Officer for the 1^st / 2^nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion in Sihung, Korea (and among his other duties there was S-4 when the slaying incident occurred on the DMZ). Subsequent Property Book and Accounting assignments included: with the 101^st Airborne Division (1977-79); 5^th Group in Buren, Germany (1979-82); 4^th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado (1983-85, 1986-89, 1993-96); 2^nd Infantry Division at Camp Casey, Korea; and the 66^th Maintenance Battalion at Kaiserslautern, Germany (1989-93).

From 1996 to 2000, CW5 O’Mara served as the Quartermaster Regimental Chief Warrant Officer at Fort Lee, and was principal advisor to the Quartermaster General on all matters relating to Quartermaster Warrant Officers. As such he successfully worked to establish new Quartermaster CW5 positions throughout the Army inventory. He also reestablished the Quartermaster Warrant Officer Conference that saw annual attendance of upward of 400 QM Warrant Officers coming to Fort Lee each year; and also instituted an electronic networking system and automated roster to facilitate effective communication with Quartermaster Warrant Officers worldwide.

For nearly 33 years, CW5 O’Mara served with distinction, honor and excellence at every assignment – while truly epitomizing the best in what the Army calls its “Quiet Professionals.”